A special train carrying around 300 Kanpur accident survivors reached the Bihar capital early on Monday.

Commenting on the train tragedy, BSP chief Mayawati said if the money spent by the government on bullet trains was rather utilized to improve our railway tracks, the accident could have been averted.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Sunday expressed his condolence over loss of lives in the derailment of Indore-Patna Express as he announced Rs 2 lakh as ex-gratia to the kin of each deceased hailing from Bihar and cancelled releasing a report card of his government on completion of one year in office.

In his condolence message, Kumar described the derailment of the train in Kanpur rural area as sad and expressed deep grief over the tragedy - the worst train accident in recent years that claimed over 100 lives and injured over 200 others.

The Chief Minister also ordered cancellation of a function to release the annual report card of his government on completion of one year in office and announced compensation to the families of the deceased and those seriously injured.

”The next of the kin of those people of Bihar who were killed in the Indore-Patna Express accident will be given Rs 2 lakh as ex-gratia while Rs 50,000 would be given to the seriously injured passengers in the accident,” Kumar said in a release.

The ex-gratia payment would be made from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the release said.

Patna District Magistrate Sanjay Kumar Agarwal told reporters here that a helpline has been opened for the people.

”Besides, we have also made arrangements for the treatment of the injured people in the Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) in Patna,” he said.

Ambulances have been stationed at the junction so that the injured persons, who are coming to Patna by a special train from Kanpur, could be taken to the two hospitals straight away, Agarwal said.

Out of 64 injured persons being treated at Kanpur, 17 are from Bihar, he said.

The mobile number for help at Patna junction is 7992388463 and Railway - 025-83288, Rajak said in the statement.

Vyasji said: “Our first and foremost priority is to inform about the latest position to the relatives of the deceased and injured in the accident.”

The government would send relatives of the victims to Kanpur if they desired, he said.

The grandfather and grandmother of Kunal Kapur, who reached Patna junction to inquire about the well-being of his relatives, have died in the accident while his three other relatives were injured in the incident, Additional SRP A S Thakur said.

Munna Kumar, a resident of Godda district in Jharkhand,told PTI that he spoke to his brother Mayank alias Ankesh, who was in the ill-fated train, in the morning and said he (Mayank) was safe.

”Mayank told me that he would reach Patna junction by special train and so I am waiting for him at the junction. After that Mayank’s mobile phone got switched off,” Munna said.

Highlights:

The incident took place at around 3 AM near Pukhrayan, about 100 kms from Kanpur.

More than 100 people have died, rescue operation is still underway, Daljeet Singh Chaudhary, ADG, Law & order ,UP, said.

The death toll could rise further as few of the injured are in critical condition.

* 14 coaches of Indore-Patna exp derailed near Kanpur. We are yet to confirm the number of casualties. Rescue opearations are underway: Indian Railways spokesperson Anil Saxena said.

* Senior officials and medical teams have been rushed to the spot. We are also in contact with district officials," Anil Saxena

* The rail traffic on the route has been affected as several trains have been diverted.

Though the cause of the derailment was not known immediately, sources said the nature and timing shows that the accident was caused by a rail fracture. However, the exact reason would be known only after an inquiry.

Northern Central Railways spokesperson Vijay Kumar said that doctors and senior railway officials have reached the spot. The cause of the derailment was not known immediately.

Though casualties are feared, there is no official confirmation so far.

Buses are pressed into service to help passengers complete their journey, Kumar said, adding that there are possibilities of casualties in the S2 coach which is severely damaged.

District administration along with railway officials are carrying out rescue and relief operations. Four AC coaches have also been derailed, he added.

Meanwhile, DIG (Kanpur range) Rajesh Modak said that two bogies of the train have been severely damaged and many people are feared dead.